Betraying the homeland
by DeathThePanda
Summary: All around her, Lilli is overwhelmed by what her country has done. When she meets an injured allied soldier, her traitorous thoughts are only intensified. Could she also like said soldier? What will happen if she does? Rated T, because I have no idea what my mind will cook up. Set during World War II AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Set during World War II in Germany, all of this may not be accurate. I do not own Hetalia. **

Lilli Zwingli lived in a small German town with her older brother, and two cousins. Her oldest cousin, Gilbert, ran the local bar, and her brother, Vash, and her other cousin, Ludwig, were both soldiers. Gilbert had at one time been a soldier, but when his left arm had to be amputated, they released him from service.

It always infuriated her that her family was wrecked by the war. Her father was also a soldier, until he was shot on the Western front. Her mother had been taken away after she had said something against the Führer. This whole war was stupid. Of course she couldn't voice her opinions to her family. Ludwig seemed to be brainwashed. All he ever talked about was the Nazi party.

Her dark thoughts were interrupted by Gilbert calling to her from the bar. Their home was above the bar. "Lilli! Can you come and help me clean up before we close?"

"Yes." She quietly answered, standing up from her bed, and changing out of her nightgown into a cotton dress she had been planning on wearing the next day. Slowly, she descended the rickety wooden steps, so as to not trip. "I'm here." She didn't care much for the bar, it always smelled odd, and the men disgusted her.

Gilbert popped his head out from behind the door leading to the kitchen. "Well hurry up." Despite his gruff words, he had a grin on his face. Lilli trotted into the kitchen, and set about washing the cups and plates. "Tomorrow, some prisoners are coming to help us out."

At Lilli's surprised look, he shrugged. "Some French are coming to work."

"Okay." It was better than Russians. She was taught that Russians were blood thirsty and cruel, she wasn't sure if that was right, but she didn't have any contact with the world outside of Germany.

"Better than the Russians." Gilbert darkly chuckled. He looked at where his left arm used to be. "You know, at one point, I thought I was in love with a Russian woman." His red eyes stared off into space, as he relived a past romance.

"Really?" Lilli prompted. Gilbert never really talked about his soldier life, and when he did, it was interesting.

"Ja." He sighed, running a hand through his white hair. "But that was a long time ago." it couldn't have been too long ago, he was only twenty-four. "Looks like we got done fast!" He noted.

Lilli looked at the stacks of cups still left. "But-"

"You can head onto bed." Gilbert dismissed, interrupting her. "I'll see you tomorrow. Go ahead and write some more letters to Vash and Ludwig."

"Okay." Lilli wanted to hear more, but he looked like he needed some private time, so she passed through the now empty bar, and headed back up the stairs. She sat at her wooden desk that used to be her mother's and pulled out a piece of stationery.

_Dear Vash,_

_How are you? Are you staying warm? I hope so. Some French are coming tomorrow to help Gilbert. I'm doing fine; I have a high grade in most of my classes. The only thing I haven't been getting is math. Yesterday, Herr Edelstein said he would teach me how to play the piano on weekends. I know you aren't on good terms with him, but he seems very nice. I hope you get to go on leave soon. I miss you._

_ Love Lilli._

She tucked her letter into an envelope, and carefully put it in her book. Ludwig hadn't written in a while, but she decided to write to him too.

_Dear Ludwig,_

_I wish this war would end soon, so we could have you and Vash home._

Scowling, she crumpled up the page. She couldn't send that to Ludwig. His loyalties lied elsewhere, and this could be seen as traitorous. What to do with the letter? Her green eyes settled on the candle burning on the desk, and without a seconds thought, she held the paper over the flame, and watched it burn. Soon, she was only holding a small piece of paper, which she tucked into the back of her book.

_Dear Ludwig,_

_Hallo cousin. When's your next leave? Maybe it will coincide with Vash's and we can all be together._

That was also dangerous. It seemed like she was eager for the war. The best solution she could think of was just not to write him. She repeated what she had done to the other letter, and got ready for bed. Her soft blonde hair was tied into twin braids, and she stared longingly into the mirror. She was fifteen, and still looked like a little girl. If Vash was here he would tell her that she was being silly, and not to try and grow up too fast.

…

Her sleeping the previous night had been fitful. They were filled with nightmares of Ludwig giving her up to the authorities for being against the Führer. Of course she hadn't done more than think one or two bad thoughts, but it still scared her.

If her late mother was there, she would laugh, and tell her not to worry. That mama would protect her, but her mama couldn't even protect herself.

"Lilli! Breakfast!" She pulled herself out of bed, and put on the dress she had worn late last night. Her plaits still looked fine, so she went into their home's kitchen, and sat at the table.

Gilbert smiled, and handed her a plate with fried potatoes on it. She returned the smile, and dug in.

"The French arrived earlier, and they're moving some stuff around downstairs." Gilbert drawled.

"What if they try and escape?" Lilli worried, thinking of a strange man bursting into the room, and hurting either her or Gilbert. Her eldest cousin had always been a fighter, but losing his arm had affected him greatly.

He shook his head. "They would be caught in seconds"

Probably gunned down.

Lilli wiped her mouth, and set the plate in the sink. "I need to get to school." She would have to pass the prisoners to get out of the house.

"I'll walk you a ways." Gilbert offered, also putting his dishes up.

The pair went down the stairs, Lilli in front, Gilbert behind her. At the bottom of the stairs, Lilli stopped to look at the foreigners. Only one was in sight, the others must have been in the kitchen.

He turned to look at her, his blue eyes sparkled, even though there was blood caked in his wavy longish blonde hair. He was very pretty, Lilli had to admit. Not fit for a soldier. His mouth opened, and she heard what sounded like an attempt at German.

Quizzically, she looked back to Gilbert. His face was grim, and he ushered her out. All of her thoughts on the way to school were devoted to the Frenchman.

**Wonder who the dude is? *Sarcasm* Like? Hate? Found something wrong? You should review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews, Ayumi Kudou (Raining popcorn? Only if its kettlecorn!) and missykim. They're appreciated! Just wanted to clear up things real fast, Gilbert-Prussia, Ludwig-Germany, Lilli-Liechtenstein, Vash-Switzerland, Mr. Edelstein-Austria, Francis-France, Michelle-Seychelles, and Elizabeth-Monaco. (I don't think Monaco has an official name.)**

Lilli didn't get in trouble normally at school. Normally. Today was different though, and she found herself daydreaming instead of paying attention to her teacher. This earned her a harsh reprimand, and she fought to stay focused on her studies.

During her lunch break, she sat near, but not quite next to some boys in her class. She preferred to be alone than to be with others. That didn't mean she was an antisocial girl. She was quite the opposite, but she was dreadfully shy around anybody not related to her.

"Did you hear? We captured fourteen enemy soldiers at our last battle." One boy stated, puffing his chest out in obvious pride for his country.

One of his friends nodded enthusiastically. "And we killed twice that number!" This made the boys erupt with laughter. It made Lilli's stomach turn, and she packed up the remnants of her lunch.

"Why don't they just give up? There's no way they can win this war. Everybody knows Germans are superior." The first boy snickered.

Lilli sat at the table, playing with her slim fingers. How could these boys be so violent? They were laughing about people dying. People who had friends and families back at home. Was her brother one of the people who had killed so many? If he did, did he regret it? Her brother was only nineteen years old, and yet he was out murdering people. Or so she assumed.

The rest of her school day passed by quickly, and soon she was on her walk home. At school she had forgotten about the man she had seen that morning. With nothing else to do, she pondered about his life.

Did he have a mother back home waiting on news from her beloved son? He could already have been married with a family. He had appeared to be in his mid-twenties. Was his family dead and he was the only one alive?

So many questions swirled around her head. It wouldn't be bad if she talked to him, right?

When she entered the bar, Gilbert intercepted her, and took her things. He frowned at the heavy lunchbox. "Did you not eat today, Lilli?"

"I lost my appetite at school." She admitted, as they entered the kitchen.

His frown deepened. "You need to eat. We never know when there might be a food shortage."

She nodded. "Yes, Gilbert. Were the prisoners good workers?" She changed topics.

"They were fine." He said. "For some Frenchies." He added.

"Did you mail my letters yet?" She questioned.

"Yeah. We also got a letter from Ludwig. It's mainly superficial stuff." Gilbert stated.

Lilli picked up the opened envelope on the table, and pulled out a piece of worn paper.

_Dear Gilbert and Lilli,_

_I will be coming home on Tuesday. Only for a brief period though. Could you collect some winter clothes for me? It's already getting cold and it is only August. _

_ From Ludwig_

Lilli matched Gilbert's displeased look from earlier. This was all? To make sure, she flipped the letter, hoping something would be written on the other side.

No  
such luck.

"It's unlike him." Gilbert noted, standing at the top of the stairs.

"Indeed." Lilli murmured. "I will go write us a reply." She went to her desk, and pulled out a new piece of stationery. Her neat handwriting only filled a fourth of the page, which was mainly wishing him to stay warm. She folded it up, and took an envelope from the stack. Carefully, she printed the names and addresses not wishing it to get sent to the wrong place.

"Lilli! Can you watch the bar while I go get more supplies?" Gilbert appeared at her doorway.

With a slight jump, she turned to look at the male. "Of course."

Gilbert sighed with relief. "Good. Don't talk to the foreigners and make sure you get the correct amount of money for a drink. If you feel threatened by anybody, scream for me, I'll be right across the street."

His orders reminded her of her brother, and she felt her heart constrict, knowing it would be awhile before she saw him again. She nimbly jogged down the stairs, and stood behind the counter, watching Gilbert exit.

"Bonjour petite dame." A smooth French accented voice greeted her. She only knew that bonjour was hello, but the rest was lost to her.

She turned to face the blonde man from earlier. "Excuse me?"

He tilted his head as if trying to make sense of her German, and he tried to make a reply in German, but she only caught the words name, something about France, and photograph.

"Excuse me?" She repeated. The bar was fairly empty, except for a man nursing a beer in the far back. The rest of the prisoners weren't in sight.

He pointed to himself. "Francis."

"Francis?"

He nodded. "My name is Francis."

"Oh! Your name is Francis?" It was his turn to look confused, so she repeated what she had said slowly.

His face lit up, and he laughed loudly. He was handsome even in the bar's dim lighting, and clothes covered in filth. "And you?"

It took her a moment to piece the two words together. "Lilli."

"Lilli!" He echoed with a beam. He let out a string of French words that sounded like compliments.

"Thank you?" The slight lilt at the end made it a question, even though she hadn't meant it to be.

Francis seemed to calm down, and he took out a photo. There were four figures in it, three of which were females. "Mother." He pointed to the older looking women whose hair resembled Francis's. "Elizabeth and Michelle." He pointed to a girl who looked a bit younger than herself with glasses, and a girl who was at least three or four years younger. "My sisters." The male was obviously him. He was grinning and had his arms on his sisters shoulders.

"They're pretty." The words were out of her mouth before she knew it. Francis smiled, bent down, and kissed her on the cheek.

** Forgive me for the cheesy summary by the way. Have I ever mentioned that I love FranceXLiechtenstein? No well I do…**


End file.
